Bung and tapping device for beer-barrels.



Patented Nov, la, |902@ P FORG.

BUNG AND TAPPING nEvlcE lFon BEER BARRELS.

(Application led May 19, 1902.) Y

(NoModeL) A IIIIYIIIIIIII l PzZz/v/v Fay mf Arm/Mfrs UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PHILIPP FORG, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOSEPH FORG, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

BUNG AND TAPPING DEVICE FORBEER-BARRELS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 713,975, dated November 18, 1902. Application filed May 19, 1902. Serial No. 107,890. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PHILIPP FORG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bung and Tapping Devices for Beer-Barrels, ot' which the following is a full and complete speciication, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved bung for beer-barrels and also an improved beer-barrel-tappin'g device which is adapted to be used in connection therewith; and with these and other objects in view the invention consists in a beer-bung for beer-barrels and a tapping device for beerbarrels constructed as hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawings form a part, in which the separate parts of my improvement aredesignated by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which- Figure l is a sectional View of the end of a beer-barrel provided with my improved beerbung and tapping device; Fig. 2, a side view of a part of the bung on an enlarged scale; Fig.

3, a top plan view of the bung; and Fig. 4 a section on the line 4 4 of Fig. l, Figs. 3 and 4 being also on a scale larger than that of Fig. l.

In the drawings forming part of this speciication I have shown at a, one end of a beerbarrel,which is provided with the usual head, and although I have referred to the use of my improvement only in connection with beerbarrels it will be apparent that the same may be employed in connection with ale-barrels or other liquor barrels or kegs and also in connection with barrels, kegs, or other vessels designed for use in holding liquids of any kind.

In the practice of my invention I provide a bling which comprises a bottom thimbleshaped portion b, which is inverted, as shown in Fig. l, and a top thimble-shaped portion c, which is screwed onto the bottom portion b, and the bottom of the part b is provided with a central opening b2 and preferably with an inward-depending iian ge or rim b3, and hinged at one side thereof, as shown at b4, is a springoperated valve b5, which normally operates to close the opening b2. The spring which operates in connection with the valve b5 is connected with the hinge-pin at b4, and a part of said spring bears on the back of the valve, as shown at b in Fig. 2, and another part of said spring bears on the side of the bottom portion b3 of the bung, as shown at bi, and may be secured to said body portion of the bling and countersunk therein, if desired, and this spring is also shown in Fig. l, and the valve b5 preferably consists of a metal casing provided with a central member bg, of rubber, which fits in and is adapted to close the opening b2, or this valve may be made in any desired manner. The top of the upper portion of the bung is also provided with a central opening c2, which is adapted to be closed by a Valve-plate c3, hinged at one side of said opening, as shown at c4, and secured to the under side of the valve-plate c3 is a rubber disk or plate c6, which constitutes the valve proper and which is adapted to close the opening c2, and pivoted to the upper or outer side of the valve-plate c3 centrally thereof at c5 is an arm (l, the free end of which is provided on its under side with an annular lug or projection d2, which is adapted to enter a corresponding recess CZS in the top, surface of the part c of the bung, and communicating with this recess d3 is a segmental slot d4, which is enlarged inwardly or is T-shaped in cross.- section, as shown at d5 in Fig. l, and the annular lug or projection d2 is adapted to enter this slot when the arm d is turned in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 3, and by means of this construction the valve-plate c3 may be locked to the bung so as to close the opening c2 whenever desired, and in practice the arm d may be sealed in the usual manner to the bung when said valve-plate c3 is locked, and by this means the barrel a or other vessel may be both securely closed and sealed whenever desired or when necessary.

Within the bottom portion l) of the bung I place a tubular packing e, of rubber or other suitable material,and this packing is enlarged at the upper end, as shown at e2, and entirely fills the bung. The separate parts b and c of the bung are threaded and are adapted to be screwed together, as shown in Fig. 1, and the ICO bottom portion b is provided with an annular shoulder e3, between which and the top portion c is preferably placed an annular packing e4, and when the separate parts of the bung are screwed together the packing e will be pressed so as to close or substantially close the central opening therethrough.

The improved tapping device consists of a tube g, which may be of any desired length and which is provided at the upper end with the usual coupling g2, provided with a valvecasing g3 and valve g4, and the lower end of said tube is preferably conical in form and provid ed with opening g5 in the sides thereof. At a predetermined distance below the upper end of the tube g I secure a T-coupling h, having a branch h2, and communicating with this branch 71, is a supplemental inner tube h3, placed in the tube g and extending downwardly therein toa predetermined point and opening out through the side of tube g, as shown at 3h.

onnected. with the coupling h or with the branch h2 thereof is an ordinaryy couplingtube h4, provided with a nozzle h5, with which is connected a fiexible tube h, through which air under pressure maybe passed in the usual manner, and the inner end of the tube h4 is provided with a 'iiexible cap k7, of rubber, having a slot hf formed therein, which constitutes an automatic valve, and air may be forced into and through the tube h3 by means of the pipe h6, and air cannot pass outwardly through the tubecoupling h4.

Although I have described the part h3 as a tube within the tube g, said part is shown as a passage formed partly by the tube g; but this passage may be formed in any desired manner. f

The top portion c of the bung is provided in the opposite sides thereof with radial recesses t', by means of which an ordinary wrench or Spanner may be employed for screwing the bung into the head of the barrel, and the operation of tapping the barrel will be readily understood in the foregoing description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the following statement thereof.

It will be understood that the bung may be used as an ordinary bung for the purpose of closing the beer barrel, keg, or other vessel, and Whenever it is desired to tap such barrel or vessel the arm d of the valve-plate c3 is turned backwardly or in a direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3, and said valve-plate is turned or raised into the position shown in Fig. l, and the lower end of the tube g is driven downwardly through the bung, as indicated in Fig. l, and in this operation the lower end of said tube opens the valve b5 against the operation of the spring which bears thereon, and the beer is free to pass out through the tube g in the usual manner. As the beer or other liquor is drawn through the barrel air may be forced thereinto. through the parts h3, h4, and h5, as will be readily understood, and the requisite pressure may thus be maintained at all times on the liquid or liquors within the barrel, and the length of the tube or passage ha is such that when the tube g is forced into the barrel or other vessel through the bung the port h5 at the lower end of said tube or passage will still be below said bung.

In the operation of driving the tube g through the bung the said tube is forced through the packing e, and said packing fits said tube so tightly that no liquid or liquor can pass out through the bung, and this is also true ot' the air within the barrel or vessel, and by reason of this fact the requisite pressure within the barrel or vessel may always be maintained by forcing air through the parts h3, h4, and h5.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A bung for barrels and other vessels comprising a thimble-shaped top portion, and an inverted thirnble-shaped bottom portion, said parts being correspondingly threaded and adapted to be screwed together, the bottom portion being provided with a central opening and a spring-operated valve for closing the same and which is adapted to open outwardly and the top portion being provided with a central opening and a hinged valveplat-e for closing the same, means for locking said hinged valve-plate in a closed position, a packing placed within the bung and adapted to be compressed when the separate parts thereof are screwed together, and a tapping device comprising a tube adapted to be forced through said bung when the top valve-plate is open, said tube being provided atits upper end with a valve and below said valve with a T-coupling, and a supplemental tube or passage communicating with the branch of said coupling and extending downwardly within said tube a predetermined distance and opening outwardly through the side of said tube, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name, in presence of the subscribing witnesses, this 15th day of May, 1902.

lPHILIPP FORG.

Witnesses:

F. A. STEWART, O. E. MULREANY.

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